Nine months of Abe

Dear, sweet, nap-deprived-due-to-his-brother Abe is nine months old tomorrow. Or as Jonah might like to say, 3/4 years old. And the checkup today showed him gaining weight and inches right on target. And the doctor said he was cute. Does she say that to all the babies? Maybe all the nine month olds?

Nine months is quite the age. I had previously thought six months to be the bee's knees, since that's when sitting up unassisted happens. No, nine months, with its locomotion (emphasis on the loco), long strings of babble, and discovery of FOOD! and DRINK! is really where it's at. We met a boy on the playground today who's the same age as Abe, and even though they look nothing alike, they both have these huge, liquid eyes that you could simply drown in. I could probably spend an entire morning gazing at Abe, kissing his soft cheeks, cooing, examining what food is currently plastered behind his ears, etc.

Except I've been treating my nine month old like a newborn, and that needs to stop. Today at the playground I actually PUT HIM DOWN ON THE GROUND to let him explore. I had never done that before. What the hell is wrong with me?! And now it's soon winter, so it will be too cold for him to do that much longer. But Jonah was a winter baby and somehow learned to walk (except that come spring, he had trouble walking on grass).

Jonah is the best big brother. I could never have imagined such tenderness and love between my two boys. They actually have fun together. Maybe it's the improved sleep, but I am feeling pretty grateful these days. I have two adorable boys, a loving husband who hasn't given up on me yet (six years of marriage next Sunday!), and a plan for what to make for dinner tomorrow.